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Configure SMTP vs SAR Friendly SMTP (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Configure SMTP

Configure SMTP

4.9(45)

7.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View Configure SMTP
VS
SAR Friendly SMTP

SAR Friendly SMTP

4.6(46)

2.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 10 months ago
View SAR Friendly SMTP

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Configure SMTP has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 45 reviews) and leads in active installations (7.0K+ vs 2.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Configure SMTP has accumulated 369K+ total downloads while SAR Friendly SMTP has 35K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.9/5Configure SMTP
◄
SAR Friendly SMTP4.6/5
Total Reviews
45Configure SMTP
►
SAR Friendly SMTP46
Active Installs
7.0K+Configure SMTP
◄
SAR Friendly SMTP2.0K+
Total Downloads
369K+Configure SMTP
◄
SAR Friendly SMTP35K+
Support Resolution
N/AConfigure SMTP
SAR Friendly SMTPN/A
Last Updated
1 year agoConfigure SMTP
►
SAR Friendly SMTP10 months ago
First Released
2009Configure SMTP
SAR Friendly SMTP2015
Age
17 yearsConfigure SMTP
SAR Friendly SMTP11 years
WP Requires
5.5+Configure SMTP
SAR Friendly SMTP4.9+
PHP Requires
false+Configure SMTP
SAR Friendly SMTP7.0+
Business Model
FreeConfigure SMTP
SAR Friendly SMTPFree
Latest Version
3.5Configure SMTP
SAR Friendly SMTP1.2.6

Rating Breakdown

Configure SMTP

4.9/5(45 reviews)
5
98%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
2%

SAR Friendly SMTP

4.6/5(46 reviews)
5
89%
4
0%
3
2%
2
2%
1
7%

Recent Reviews

Configure SMTP Reviews

by steadiflite

First thing I install on all my WP websites

Configure SMTP is a staple of setting up a useful WordPress website, I would call it “a household name” for WP installations (if there’s any such thing as household names in this area). Anyway, what a

by Javier Carazo

Simple and functional way to configure SMTP settings in your WordPress

Most of my users and customers ask me: why my mails are not being sent? Why some mails sent from my site do not arrives? The problem are spam filters and things like this, so SMTP is a basic tool to o

by pdwalker

Still works!

There are some minor warnings under php7. See here for the fix: https://wordpress.org/support/topic/warning-declaration-of-c2c_configuresmtp-with-plugin-installed/#post-9832908 Hopefully the author w

SAR Friendly SMTP Reviews

by sayginer

Simple and Clean

It is clean and simple plugin. It does what is needed without annoying ads. Thanks!

by mahyulan

Super leightweight. Just does the job!

I used to use PostMan SMTP – now Post SMTP plugin, but this has become very annoying. Because it has become a bulky plugin that almost forces you to go to a paid subscription. The Post SMTP zip fil

by Qorege

Works fine

Thank you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Configure SMTP or SAR Friendly SMTP more popular?
Configure SMTP has 7.0K+ active installations while SAR Friendly SMTP has 2.0K+. Configure SMTP is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Configure SMTP or SAR Friendly SMTP?
Configure SMTP has a 4.9/5 rating from 45 reviews, while SAR Friendly SMTP has a 4.6/5 rating from 46 reviews.
Are Configure SMTP and SAR Friendly SMTP free?
Configure SMTP is free and SAR Friendly SMTP is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Configure SMTP or SAR Friendly SMTP?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Configure SMTP was last updated 1 year ago and SAR Friendly SMTP was last updated 10 months ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.